When your mind is on the topic of top point guards, you have to think about Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. Magic was on the Lakers his whole career consisting of these years: 1979–1991, 1996, 1999–2000. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1979 draft, coming from Michigan State where he found great success and was named one of the best players of all time for the Spartans. For the Lakers, he has won 3 MVPs, 11 all star games, NBA all rookie team, 3 NBA finals MVPs, and 5 championships. Magic is without a doubt one of the most successful point guards ever to play the game, and will go down in history as one of the best players of all time.

When it comes to the missing years of Magic’s career, there was a multitude of complications in his life. After a physical before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. Shortly after he was announced positive for carrying HIV, he said he would retire from the NBA immediately. Around this time no one knew about this disease, the danger it held, and how much people would suffer from it in the future. All they did know was that it was a huge problem, not only to the NBA, but the whole world.

HIV was starting to become a major problem in the word. Death tolls were rising and so little information was known. A ton of questions flying around about who had it and how they got it. There was major people speaking on this topic, most importantly Magic himself. He was the lead activists and educator.

Putting that all aside, on January 30, 1996, he made an astonishing return to the NBA and resorting back to the old, amazing “Magic” Johnson everyone knew him as. With his twelve total years of play he racked up very solid stats. In 906 games, Magic averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists. with the totals ending at 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds, and 10,141 assist. He even has the most assist per game in NBA history.

With Magic standing at a height of 6’9–one of the tallest point guards–and his outstanding athletic ability, he was an unstoppable force on the court. The speed, strength, and physicality played a huge part in his game, with pursuing by the defender and charging toward the basket while slamming it to put up two points. That’s what everybody thought he was, just an athletic scorer, but there was a totally different ide to him. His nickname, “Magic” comes from his talent in his mental game, including passes and defensive plays. His vision was, in my opinion, the best ever. He always knew everything that was going on when he was on and off the court.

With Magics’ struggles on and off the court, I think that he is the most powerful player physically and mentally. He has repeatedly said he still has HIV and is taking medication to manage the disease. He is taking the same medication all people living with HIV are taking. His viral load is “undetectable” because he consistently takes his medication, allowing him to be seen as normal by the public and other players.

All in all, he was highly successful when he played, making an appearance in 9 of the 12 championships in the years he played, which is 75% of his career he made it to the finals. After his retirement from basketball, Johnson became an extremely successful entrepreneur with estimated holdings of approximately $500 million as of 2015 and a prominent HIV/AIDS activist. In 2012, he was part of an ownership group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers. Overall, Magic Johnson’s amazing career states him as the best point guard of all time.

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